Not a Job
by serenelystrange
Summary: Parker is tired..but has no bed. Read if you want to know why, and how she remedies it. Mostly P/H.. but also kind of a teamfic. Takes place in the days leading up to Second David Job. Hope you like! Please review!


A/N – Let's assume the gang stayed in MC Hammer's mansion for a few days before they pulled off the Second David Job. So this takes place there. It's not completely important, but it gives a reason as to why sleeping could be had at the office.

Also, this was supposed to be pure H/P fluff.. but it somehow became sort of a teamfic. But its mostly fluff. Either way, please enjoy and review, 

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Hardison jumped a foot when Parker appeared in front of him, through his locked door. He wondered why he was still surprised when she appeared, or when she found her way around locks, but decided it was better not to wonder too much. It hurt his head. Looking up from his laptop, from his hastily purchased beanbag chair, he cast Parker a questioning glance.

"I'm tired," she complained, rubbing her eyes to emphasize the fact.

Hardison stared. "Go to sleep then?" he offered, not sure what else to say.

Parker frowned, "Can't, don't have a bed."

"What happened to the air mattress we got you? You had it yesterday." He paused after asking, realizing just how many possibilities could be the answer.

Parker actually looked a little ashamed, "I might have popped it." At Hardison's rolling eyes, she continued, "It's all Eliot's fault!"

Hardison looked at her incredulously, hoping she didn't mean what his mind immediately went to. Maybe Eliot was the reason Parker wouldn't talk about their encounter in the basement a few months ago.

"What in the hell did Eliot have to do with popping your mattress?" He braced himself mentally for the answer.

Parker's eyes narrowed in annoyance at the memory as she responded, "He stormed in on me when I was playing with daggers! And I dropped one, and it fell onto the mattress, and now I have no mattress, and I can't sleep. And I'm tired! Stupid Eliot."

Hardison laughed in relief, "We can get you another mattress. Why did Eliot storm in anyway?"

Parker grinned slyly, "I also might have stolen his daggers to play with. But I was just so bored! And he has so many of them! I didn't think he'd notice a few if they were only gone for a little while."

"Seriously?" Hardison asked, friendly scowl on his face, "The man can identify guns by their shots… he knows when somebody's been messing with his weapons. Hell, he probably smelled your perfume or tracked your foot indentations on the rug or some crazy Rambo shit. He's Eliot."

Parker shrugged, "I was bored."

"And now you're tired," Hardison stated, again unsure of what to say, or how he was supposed to help.

"And now I'm tired," Parker repeated. And then she stared, wordlessly, until Hardison broke from the silence.

"What do you expect me to do about it? Want to go out and get a new mattress? A few stores should still be open."

"Too tired to go out," Parker complained, only slightly whiny, "I need a bed now."

Shaking his head, Hardison put his computer in sleep mode and clicked it closed. "Alright," he said, "You can sleep in my bed. I'll go bug Eliot or something. Man's too damn solitary for his own good.

Parker grinned, "Ok. I think Eliot's still moping about Sophie anyway, you should go bother him. It will be fun. Especially if you make him mad."

"Fun for you, maybe! Not so fun for me, since he could kill me with one finger. Probably less. I don't intend to find out." Hardison scoffed at the idea of purposely angering Eliot.

Parker just shrugged and unbuttoned her pants, kicking them off before Hardison could utter a sound. His eyes widened and he quickly turned to face the wall, muttering apologies.

Parker rolled her eyes, "Relax, Hardison. I'm wearing underwear today." She giggled at his choked cough response. "You're such a prude," she continued, "I'm not even taking my shirt off, just don't want to sleep in my jeans." She slipped beneath the blanket of Hardison's air mattress, sighing in contentment as she felt the tension ease out of her bones. "It's ok, I'm all covered now," she told Hardison's back.

He turned back slowly, trying not to react to Parker being cozy and pant-less in his bed, even his temporary bed. But she looked so pretty and sweet, hair fanned out against his pillow, that he had to smile down at her. Before he could help himself, he found himself kneeling by the mattress, tucking the blanket carefully around Parker, so she was nice and cozy. She watched him with a bemused expression, only protesting once when he tried to cover her arms, she needed them free. When he was finished, Hardison brushed Parker's bangs away from her eyes, wanting desperately to kiss her, but stopping himself from leaning down. She had already proven she didn't want him. He needed to stop this thinking while he still could. But then she leaned her face into his touch, and he was lost.

Moving slowly, he leaned down and place a kiss to her cheek, "Goodnight, Parker." He stood to leave, praying she would stop him. And she did.

Parker's arm shot up to grab his hand before he could take a step, "Wait."

It was the best word he had ever heard. Waiting wasn't something Parker did lightly.

"You look tired too," she smiled softly, "You should sleep. Here with me. Plenty of room." She patted the other side of the bed invitingly.

Hardison was many things, but a fool was not one of them. He gladly slid into the bed next to Parker, arms firmly at his sides, heart beating too fast, staring at the ceiling.

"Look at me," was her soft demand. So he did. Hardison turned his head just in time to feel Parker press her lips to his. Smiling against her lips, he brought his hand up to rest in her hair as she hovered above him, kissing him slowly and sweetly, something he was more than a little shocked about. When she pulled away, Hardison actually whimpered, which made Parker giggle.

"I really am tired," she explained, eyes fluttering closed against her will. "Will you still stay with me?"

Wrapping an arm around her, still facing each other, Hardison answered, "Of course. Couldn't make me leave now." Realizing how it sounded, he amended, "Unless you told me to leave, then I would. I didn't mean it like that."

Parker just rolled her eyes and ran her hand down his cheek before turning around to rest against Hardison's chest, pulling the blanket up over her chest, enjoying the weight of his arm around her waist.

They rested in silence for a few minutes before Parker asked a question in a barely audible voice.

"Do you still think I'm weird?" she asked, tensing when she felt Hardison pause.

"Yeah, a little," he admitted, nuzzling her hair, "But it's a good weird. I like this weird."

Parker frowned, "Did you like me before I invaded your bed and kissed you?"

Hardison laughed, "Is that what you call this? An invasion? I don't mind it so much. And yes, I liked you way before you invaded. I even liked you before you kissed me the first time. Even if you won't acknowledge that kiss. I like you, plain and simple."

"That was a job. It wasn't real. You know that." Parker explained, sounding frustrated, "But this is different."

"Not a job," Hardison stated.

"Not a job," Parker agreed.

"It's real." Hardison said, more question than he cared to admit.

"It's real," Parker repeated, "I don't know what it all is yet, but it's real. I'm not like your girlfriend or anything yet."

Hardison frowned but decided to count his blessings, "I can deal with yet. Yet is good word. I like yet."

Parker murmured her agreement into the pillow, but she was losing the battle with sleep. Hardison pulled her closer and closed his eyes. It was bound to be the best nap ever.

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Eliot knocked on Sophie's temporary bedroom, entering when she called out to come in. She looked up in surprise; Eliot was the last one she had expected to see. And even more surprised to see a positively gleeful look on the hitter's face.

"What is it?" She asked, frowning at Eliot's unusual demeanor, "I thought you were mad at me?"

Eliot's smile dropped into a scowl, "I am. But you need to see this. I'll be mad again tomorrow."

He motioned for Sophie to follow him silently, so she removed her heels and followed. She shot him a confused look as he led her to Hardison's door, but stopped when he shushed her and grabbed her hand to pull her in front of him, motioning for her to look into the slightly opened door.

Sophie gasped softly when she registered what she was seeing. Hardison and Parker were curled up on Hardison's air bed, cozy as can be, sleeping soundly. Hardison's head was buried in Parker's hair, but it was Parker that most surprised Sophie. Clicking the door shut gently, she turned to Eliot with wide eyes.

"She's smiling," Sophie said as her own smiled appeared involuntarily.

Eliot sputtered, "_That's_ what you comment on! Not that fact that Parker is in Hardison's bed?"

Sophie shrugged, "That's the most important part. The rest is easy to believe."

Eliot sighed, "Forget Parker, there is something wrong with _you_."

"Come now," Sophie insisted, "Even you have to admit it's sweet to see Parker happy, even while sleeping."

Eliot scowled, "I admit nothing." But he couldn't hide the amusement in his voice from the expert grifter.

Shaking her head, Sophie placed a hand on Eliot's shoulder for a moment before heading back to her room.

Eliot was still mad, and still annoyed that Sophie apparently didn't find this whole thing as strange as he did, and that she had him pegged for the sentimental fool he knew he was somewhere beneath the layers of violence and strength. But that didn't stop him from watching her sway as she walked away.

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Nate wandered down the unfamiliar hallway later that night, stopping when he noticed Sophie in the kitchen.

"Any idea where Parker is?" he asked her, "Her door's open but she's not there. It's pretty late."

Sophie smiled, "Look at you, concerned about Parker. It's sweet. She's here. She's sleeping."

Nate gestured to the empty room, "But... the room, it's empty. Even Parker can't actually be invisible."

Sophie just smiled again, but this time with a conspiratorial gleam in her eye, "Oh, she's sleeping. Just not in her room," she paused for dramatic effect, "She's in Hardison's room."

Nate choked on the whiskey he'd been sipping, "With Hardison?"

Sophie nodded, and bounced slightly, "Isn't it just adorable."

"Not the word I'd use," Nate said, "Guess it could be worse though. She could be with Eliot."

"Why would that be worse?" Sophie asked, "Eliot's perfectly lovely."

Nate rolled his eyes at her defense of the other man, with a feeling that was definitely not jealousy in his stomach.

"I just mean that when this is over and Parker disappears, Hardison can find her, or he can move on. Eliot would do something stupid. Or dangerous. Knowing him, probably both."

"For heaven's sake, Nate, don't be so dramatic! They're only sleeping. It's not exactly an engagement. Eliot would know that, he's not daft."

Nate nodded, the not jealous feeling tightening, "You're right. I'm getting ahead of myself. I just need this job to go well."

"It will," Sophie offered, with more confidence than she felt. "We're good together, the team. Even if only once more."

"The best," Nate agreed. He didn't miss the pause she put between together and the team, but he pushed it to the back of his mind. Maybe after all of this, he could figure out what was going on between him and Sophie. But for now, he needed to focus on the job and staying just drunk enough to stop the hallucinations, but just sober enough to not screw up. Turning abruptly, he walked swiftly back to his room, shutting the door behind him.

Left alone in the kitchen, Sophie sighed at the general discontent of her team. She hoped they would find a way to fix it, that they would find a way to stay together, but she knew it was a vain hope. They were broken, and it was her fault. Fighting to stop the tears that threatened to fill her eyes, she placed her tea cup carefully in the sink before heading back to her room.

She paused at Hardison's doorway, unable to resist opening the door for another look. They had shifted since Sophie last looked. Now Hardison was on his back, one arm above his head, the other still around the girl that rested her head on his shoulder as they both slept.

Sophie smiled at the sight. Maybe they would all be ok after all. She had hope, and for now, that was enough.

THE END

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A/N – Ok, so yes, I know that they all split up at the end of the season. But in my head, Hardison takes Parker up on her challenge and finds her and they spend the next however long it is together until they're all called back. I know this won't be true on the show, but that, my friends, is why it's called fiction, lol. I hope you liked!


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